Dallas joins anti-ICE protests as immigration crackdown intensifies
Dallas Anti-ICE Protest: Key Moments from SKY 4
Anti-ICE protesters took to the streets of Dallas on Monday night. Watch a compilation of the key moments from the protests from SKY 4.
DALLAS - An anti-ice protest beginning on Dallas’ Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge started Monday evening as dozens of people gathered holding signs and waving flags to demonstrate against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Crowds took to the streets near Trinity Groves in a protest that at times became contentious.
Police eventually told protesters the gathering was considered an "unlawful assembly" before forcing the protesters out of the street.
Dallas police have not given a word on how many, if any, protesters were arrested on Monday night.
Police declares unlawful assembly at anti-ICE protests
Dallas police department give timeline for protesters for anti-ICE protest and threatens to delivers fines and arrests. Authorities tell residents to disperse
Monday’s protest in Dallas follows a weekend of heated and sometimes violent anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles. As a major freeway is blocked. Cars set on fire. Law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs to control the crowd.
Los Angeles Protests
The backstory:
The Los Angeles protests against President Trump’s immigration crackdown began on Friday.
The president activated the national guard. For the first time in 60 years, the national guard was activated in a state without permission from that state’s governor.
On Monday, ICE announced 700 marines would arrive in Los Angeles to protect personnel and property.
"Broken immigration system"
Dallas Anti-Ice protest marching through Trinity Groves
An anti-ICE protest beginning on Dallas' Margaret Hill Bridge on Monday evening. FOX 4's David Sentendrey has been monitoring the protest and joins as the crowd heads towards Trinity Grove
What they're saying:
Immigration attorney Hussein Sadruddin says previous presidential administrations have contributed to what he calls a "broken immigration system."
"The system has been broken for a while. The difference now is that the broken system is just geared toward one thing and one thing only, which is mass deportation," said Sadruddin. "Remember we used to call President Obama ‘Deporter in Chief’ so that was happening. Quite a bit."
Sadruddin, however, says the North Texas law firm he’s worked at for more than two decades is now seeing tighter enforcement.
"But this is the first time we are seeing individuals who are seeking relief in a legal way being targeted. People who are reporting to court," said Sadruddin. "Also, we have individuals who have committed minor crimes which would not ordinarily put them into court proceedings, and they’re being detained."
ICE Dallas no longer provides arrest numbers
ICE protest in Dallas: One arrested
Demonstrators took to the streets in Dallas on Monday, protesting against President Trump's immigration policies and ICE arrests. This comes after the violent protests broke out in Los Angeles over the weekend. The protests started around 7 p.m. Monday night near the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in the Trinity Groves area of Dallas. Police declared an unlawful assembly just before 10 p.m., telling protesters they needed to disperse. Dallas police say one person was arrested and their charges are pending.
Local perspective:
On January 26, ICE Dallas told FOX 4 it had arrested 84 targets that day, but when asked on Monday, an ICE Dallas spokesperson said the office could not provide overall arrest numbers it’s accumulated since the new administration was sworn in.
So, it’s unclear how data compares to past years and administrations.
ICE Dallas, however, did share a post on X on Monday afternoon, highlighting the deportation last week of 122 illegal immigrants from China. 96 men. 26 women. Ages 19 to 68.
One of them was convicted of murder. One was convicted of rape. Another was convicted of drug trafficking.
Dig deeper:
Regarding Monday’s protest in Dallas, ICE Dallas says it "…fully respects the constitutional rights of all people to peacefully express their opinions…brave officers are on the streets every day, risking their lives to locate, arrest and remove the most egregious criminal aliens in line with the president’s policy of ‘worst first.’"
ICE Dallas did not make anyone available for an on-camera interview on Monday.
The Source: Information in this article is provided through on-the-ground coverage and interviews conducted by FOX 4's David Sentendrey.